The Golden Valley High boys volleyball team hosted El Capitan High on April 23 in the final league game of the season. Both teams entered the game tied for first place, which meant that the winner of the game would win the CCC championship. Earlier in the season, these two teams went five sets, with El Capitan winning in a close finish, setting up a highly anticipated rematch.
Set 1
The match opened with Golden Valley taking early control, capitalizing on El Capitan errors to jump out to a 4-0 run. El Capitan responded behind senior Tyler McCreary, who recorded multiple early kills as the Gauchos looked to keep pace with the Cougars. The set quickly turned into a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading points and tying multiple times. Golden Valley leaned on Jake Green and Chai Her offensively, while also benefiting from El Capitan service and hitting errors. McCreary continued to lead El Capitan, recording eight kills in the set and even adding two aces to keep the score tight. Late in the set, Golden Valley created separation with strong net play, including blocks from Emanuel Alcala-Nopales and Richard Saechao. Despite a small El Capitan push, Golden Valley closed out the set with a powerful kill from Joshua Chao. The final score read 25-22.
Set 2
Golden Valley carried momentum into the second set and took advantage of El Capitan miscues to build an early 3-0 lead. A kill from Joshua Chao to open the match and an ace from Marc Her helped spark the Cougars’ offense. El Capitan answered behind McCreary, who continued to produce offensively and helped tie the set at 6-6. However, Golden Valley regained control through consistent play and strong rallies, with Jake Green standing out again as a primary offensive opponent, recording multiple kills throughout the set. The Gauchos’ defense also played a role by extending rallies and forcing errors. A late push, highlighted by another kill from Green and a tip from Her, allowed Golden Valley to pull away late and secure the set 25-19.
Set 3
After building a two game lead, Golden Valley carried all the momentum into the third set, and used the energy on their side to jump out to a commanding lead as the Gauchos became visibly frustrated with the pressure Golden Valley placed on them. The Cougars built a 15-6 advantage behind strong serving and El Capitan errors. However, El Capitan responded with a late push, using key blocks from Gabriel Olvera and Shane Thao to slow Golden Valley’s offense. As senior Tyler McCreary continued to lead the Gauchos offensively, El Capitan cut the deficit to 19-18. From there, Golden Valley turned to Jake Green as he delivered a late kill to help the Cougars stay in front. El Capitan continued to apply pressure and briefly tied the set again, but late Gaucho errors shifted momentum back to Golden Valley. In extended play, the Cougars held steady and closed out the set 26-24, completing the sweep and securing the CCC title.
Senior Jayden Thao spoke after the match about securing the CCC title. “It means everything for taking first because we’ve been working for it, the whole program, the whole year.” he said. With the win extending their season, he added, “It means we gotta play hard. The job’s not finished. We gotta go and compete with the playoff teams.” He pointed to what helped them in the match, saying, “[Our] strength was communication, teamwork and never folding under the pressure because we’re used to this already.” Thao likes the Cougars’ odds heading into the playoffs and spoke about what it’s going to take to make a run in the postseason. “I think working on our scramble ball, you know, because once we get our scramble ball, we’re going to be state champs.”
Golden Valley’s head coach Vong Her broke down the game plan and what the win meant after Golden Valley secured the CCC title in the final league matchup. “Coming into this game, we were honestly looking at Tyler [McCreary], trying to put Tyler into a box, trying to make him hit things that’s going to be beneficial to us,” he said. The coach also reflected on the personal meaning of the win, referencing the teams’ earlier matchup. “This win means a lot to me. The first time we played them, we went to five. We lost… Tyler got hot, he beat us, and that left a sour taste in my mouth. I’m still mad till this day about that loss. But hey, we’re here. We beat them, and that’s all that matters. We got CCC, baby.”
Golden Valley closed out the CCC season in first place with a 9-1 league record after taking the win. Despite the loss for El Capitan, both teams will continue their seasons in the playoffs after strong regular-season performances and a competitive final meeting. Looking ahead, Golden Valley will host Tracy High on April 28 at 6:00 p.m. in the first playoff round, while El Capitan will return home on the same date to face Armijo High at 6:00 p.m. Both programs now shift focus to postseason play after a hard-fought CCC finish.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos. ↩︎
